Recipe: Vegan Banana Blossom Fish

The great British seaside treat fish & chips gets a vegan makeover with delicious, flaky marinated banana blossom fish, cooked in a light and crisp beer batter. Perfect with chips, vinegar and tartare sauce.

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Over the last 12 months we've all been dreaming of simple freedoms - small pleasures we previously took for granted and people and places we're missing. Whilst some are pining for exotic holidays, intrepid travel and luxury hotels, for many of us it is beer gardens, BBQs with family and friends and fish and chips on the sea wall on a blustery day.

I can't give you sunshine, sea or salty air, but I can give you the most epic vegan fish and chips you have tasted, using marinated banana blossom cooked in a light and crisp beer batter.

Serve this with triple-cooked chips (see below for the method), and you will have a truly memorable quintessentially British fish and chip supper, without ever missing the fish.

🌱 What is Banana Blossom?

Banana blossom is, quite literally, a flower or 'blossom' that grows at the end of a cluster of bananas. It has been a traditional food in South-East Asian and Indian cuisines for a long time, but has only recently become trendy in the west with the recent surge in demand for meat-free and fish-free foods.

It has a flaky texture, whilst still being quite chunky and juicy. A perfect substitute for the texture of fish. Banana blossom doesn't really have a strong flavour of its own, so is usually marinated before cooking. I've used seaweed / nori in the marinade which really gives a taste of the sea, but you can play around with the ingredients and quantities in the marinade to suit your own taste.

Equipment

A few things I find particularly helpful for making this vegan battered 'fish' are:

• Kitchen thermometer This really takes a lot of the fear out of frying for me, (see below!). I have a thermometer from Thermapen (which was a gift – see sponsored recipe here) which I really love, but any kitchen thermometer will be fine. This allows you to get the oil up to the correct temperature for frying, then monitor it as you cook in case it rises or drops.
• Tongs A good pair of tongs are very useful for getting the fillets in and out of the hot oil… please be careful! I like these from OXO.
• Lidded frying pan A good quality frying pan that is fairly deep is important for frying. Always make sure you have a tight-fitting lid close by, so if your oil was to start smoking or a fire started, you could immediately remove it from the heat and put the lid on. I like this lidded sauté pan from Circulon.

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🍟 How do I cook chips to go with the 'fish'?

Whilst you have a pan of hot oil on the go, you might as well make your own chips too! These beauties are triple-cooked - par-boiled, fried gently, then fried again to get crispy. This is how I make mine, though you will find plenty of different methods on the internet so look for one that suits your timescales and expectations!

Before cooking your banana blossom fish (you can do this bit earlier in the day):

• You will need 200g potatoes per person - use a good chipping variety - Maris Pipers are ideal.
• Peel them and cut into thick, chunky chips (I like mine about about 1cm thick), then cover them in cold water, rinse until the water runs clear and then pat dry.
• Par-boil them for about 4-5 minutes, or until they are just soft.
• Drain them, pat dry once again. Lay them out on a baking tray and put in the fridge until cold.
• Heat your oil to 120°C to begin with, then cook the chips for around 5 minutes - they should be cooked through but not browned just yet. You may need to do this in smaller batches so as not to overcrowd the pan.
• Take them out of the oil, pat dry again and then put them back in the fridge until needed.

After cooking your banana blossom fish:

• Bring the oil to 160°C, put the chips back in to the oil until they are golden brown and crispy, (once again you might need to do this in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan).
• Remove and pat dry, season well with salt and vinegar, and serve immediately.

Chunky chips or french fries? Extra-crispy or slightly soggy? How do you like yours?

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🤔 How else can I make vegan 'fish'?

Banana blossom isn't the only way to re-create a battered fish-style fillet at home. You can also try 'tofish' - fish made from tofu.

Slice a block of extra-firm tofu, (I use Tofoo or sometimes Cauldron), into three large, flat slices. Squeeze out any excess moisture and pat it dry with kitchen paper. Use the same marinade as the banana blossom recipe below to marinate it for 3-4 hours or ideally overnight in the fridge.

Then just continue with the recipe from step 5. below, coating the tofu fillets in flour then batter, and frying until crisp and golden.

👩🏽‍🍳 What do I serve with my banana blossom fish and chips?

A proper 'fish' & chip supper is made extra special by all the bits on the side. As it is a fairly occasional treat, I like to go the whole hog when we do homemade 'fish' & chips, with:

• Homemade ketchup like my epic Beetroot & Chilli Ketchup - it has quite a kick to it, but you can leave out the chilli if you prefer.
• Mushy peas which I make quite simply by boiling peas, draining them then mashing with a potato masher with a little vegan butter. Or if you want a more authentic chip shop flavour, there's a good BBC recipe using Marrowfat Peas - just replace the butter with vegan block margarine.
• Salt and vinegar mustn't be skimped on.
• Pickled onions but they must be really big and very sharp ones, (not the puny little silverskins you get on sticks!)
• ....and of course your very own homemade Vegan Tartare Sauce!

What else do you serve with your vegan 'fish' & chip suppers?

😳 Scared of frying?

I am! Anything involving a pan of hot oil gives me the heebie-jeebies, but it doesn’t need to be scary. Here are a few top tips:

• Use about 2-3cm oil, and make sure it comes no more than half way up the sides of the pan, so there is room for it to bubble up the sides.
• Check the oil temperature as it heats, and whilst cooking – it should stay close to 180°C / 350°F. See above for a recommended thermometer.
• Use long-handled tongs or a large slotted spoon to get your 'fish' in and out of the oil, and allows excess oil to drain.
• Don’t fry very wet food to avoid splatters. Make sure you squeeze the moisture out of the marinated banana blossom before battering.
• Don’t leave hot oil unattended even for a moment, and keep kids out of the kitchen.
• Keep a close-fitting lid close by, in case the oil should catch fire. If you don’t have a lid, a baking tray would do.

To dispose of the cooking oil, please don’t pour it down the sink or drain – it can cause serious blockages. Small quantities of oil can be disposed of with your food waste, or you can recycle larger quantities at household recycling centres in the UK.

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And if you have tried this recipe, please do leave a star rating and comment below which is so helpful for other readers wanting to try the recipe. 👇🏼

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😍 If you liked that...

.... you might also enjoy these vegan recipes from The Veg Space:

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